Definition and Etymology:
Gehenna, derived from the Hebrew "Ge Hinnom," meaning "Valley of Hinnom," is a term used in the New Testament to describe a place of final punishment for the wicked. The Valley of Hinnom is a real geographical location south of Jerusalem, historically associated with idolatrous practices and child sacrifices to the god Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31).

Old Testament Background:
In the Old Testament, the Valley of Hinnom was notorious for its association with pagan worship and abominable practices. King Josiah defiled the site to prevent further idolatry (2 Kings 23:10). The prophet Jeremiah condemned the valley as a place of judgment and slaughter, foretelling its association with divine retribution (Jeremiah 7:32).

New Testament Usage:
In the New Testament, Gehenna is used metaphorically to describe the place of eternal punishment. Jesus frequently referred to Gehenna in His teachings, emphasizing its role as a place of fiery judgment. For instance, in Matthew 5:22, Jesus warns that anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. Similarly, in Matthew 10:28, He instructs His followers to fear God, who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

Theological Significance:
Gehenna is often understood as a symbol of hell, representing the final state of the unrighteous after the Last Judgment. It is depicted as a place of unquenchable fire and eternal separation from God. In Mark 9:43-48, Jesus describes Gehenna as a place where "the fire is not quenched." This imagery underscores the severity and permanence of divine judgment.

Interpretations and Debates:
Throughout Christian history, Gehenna has been a subject of theological debate. Some interpret it as a literal place of eternal torment, while others view it as a metaphor for spiritual death or annihilation. The traditional view, upheld by many conservative theologians, sees Gehenna as a literal and eternal hell, consistent with the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.

Related Biblical References:
· Matthew 5:29-30 : "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna."
· Matthew 23:33 : "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to Gehenna?"
· James 3:6 : "The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by Gehenna."

Cultural and Historical Context:
In the time of Jesus, Gehenna was a well-known location outside Jerusalem, often used as a garbage dump where fires burned continuously. This imagery would have been vivid to His audience, reinforcing the concept of a place of destruction and waste. The historical and cultural context of Gehenna as a site of judgment and purification contributed to its symbolic use in the New Testament.

Conclusion:
Gehenna serves as a powerful symbol of divine judgment and the consequences of sin. Its use in the New Testament reflects the seriousness with which Jesus and the early Christians viewed the reality of eternal punishment for those who reject God's salvation.Gehenna

[HINNOM]

Gehenna

See HINNOM.

(originally Ge bene Hinnom; i.e., "the valley of the sons of Hinnom"), a deep, narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where the idolatrous Jews offered their children in sacrifice to Molech (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; 19:2-6). This valley afterwards became the common receptacle for all the refuse of the city. Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds of filth, were cast and consumed by fire kept always burning. It thus in process of time became the image of the place of everlasting destruction. In this sense it is used by our Lord in Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5. In these passages, and also in James 3:6, the word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version placing "Gehenna" in the margin. (see HELL; HINNOM.) (n.) The valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where some of the Israelites sacrificed their children to Moloch, which, on this account, was afterward regarded as a place of abomination, and made a receptacle for all the refuse of the city, perpetual fires being kept up in order to prevent pestilential effluvia. In the New Testament the name is transferred, by an easy metaphor, to Hell.GEHENNA

ga-hen'-a (geenna (see Grimm-Thayer, under the word)): Gehenna is a transliteration from the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ge-hinnom, "valley of Hinnom." This latter form, however, is rare in the Old Testament, the prevailing name being "the valley of the son of Hinnom." Septuagint usually translates; where it transliterates the form is different from Gehenna and varies. In the New Testament the correct form is Gee'nna with the accent on the penult, not Ge'enna. There is no reason to assume that Hinnom is other than a plain patronymic, although it has been proposed to find in it the corruption of the name of an idol (EB, II, 2071). In the New Testament (King James Version margin) Gehenna occurs in Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 18:9; Matthew 23:15, 33 Mark 9:43, 15, 47 Luke 12:5 James 3:6. In all of these it designates the place of eternal punishment of the wicked, generally in connection with the final judgment. It is associated with fire as the source of torment. Both body and soul are cast into it. This is not to be explained on the principle that the New Testament speaks metaphorically of the state after death in terms of the body; it presupposes the resurrection. In the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) Gehenna is rendered by "hell" (see ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT). That "the valley of Hinnom" became the technical designation for the place of final punishment was due to two causes. In the first place the valley had been the seat of the idolatrous worship of Molech, to whom children were immolated by fire (2 Chronicles 28:3; 2 Chronicles 33:6). Secondly, on account of these practices the place was defiled by King Josiah (2 Kings 23:10), and became in consequence associated in prophecy with the judgment to be visited upon the people (Jeremiah 7:32). The fact, also, that the city's offal was collected there may have helped to render the name synonymous with extreme defilement. Topographically the identification of the valley of Hinnom is still uncertain. It has been in turn identified with the depression on the western and southern side of Jerusalem, with the middle valley, and with the valley to the E. Compare EB, II, 2071; DCG, I, 636; RE3, VI.

Geerhardus Vos

1067. geenna -- Gehenna, a valley W. and South of Jer., also a ...
... 1066, 1067. geenna. 1068 . Gehenna, a valley W. and South of Jer., also a
symbolic name for the final place of punishment of the ungodly. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1067.htm - 7k

3599. odous -- a tooth
... a) of the particular level of compensation or recompense needed in a situation
(Mt 5:38); and, b) for how the unredeemed in Gehenna express their indescribable ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3599.htm - 7k

5020. tartaroo -- to cast into hell
... Verb Transliteration: tartaroo Phonetic Spelling: (tar-tar-o'-o) Short Definition:
I thrust down to Tartarus Definition: I thrust down to Tartarus or Gehenna. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5020.htm - 7k

Chapter ix.
... and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council:
but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the gehenna of fire ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/our lords sermon on the mount/chapter ix.htm

Appendix xix. On Eternal Punishment, According to the Rabbis and ...
... perfectly righteous, who are immediately written and sealed to eternal life;' the
perfectly wicked, who are immediately written and sealed to Gehenna;' and an ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xix on eternal punishment.htm

That He Shall Come to Judge the Quick and the Dead we are Taught ...
... Fear not them who are able to kill the body, but are not able to hurt the soul;
but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." Ps. ...
/.../33 that he shall come.htm

Definitive Form of the Ideas of Jesus Respecting the Kingdom of ...
... They will be the smaller number.[5] The rest will depart into Gehenna. Gehenna was
the western valley of Jerusalem. ... Paradise and Gehenna will have no end. ...
/.../renan/the life of jesus/chapter xvii definitive form of.htm

Blessing and Cursing
... not wish evil to sinners"granted that they did not long to pray, with bell, book,
and candle, that they might be tormented for ever in Gehenna"granted that ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xi blessing and cursing.htm

Listen, My Brethren, to Death, Mocking the Evil One: that Caused ...
... Gehenna be overturned, upon thy head: as thy malice overturned Sodom, its
dwellers!"11. ... Sink thou in the dregs of Gehenna, O Satan! ...
/.../hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn lvii listen my brethren.htm

In this Diagram were Described Ten Circles, Distinct from Each ...
... Moreover, Celsus says that the diagram was "divided by a thick black line, and this
line he asserted was called Gehenna, which is Tartarus." Now as we found ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xxv in this diagram.htm

Christ's Prayer Answered.
... BLUE FLAMES OF GEHENNA. No permanent Christian life can be built upon the
foundation of an unsanctified heart. For a time the graces ...
/.../rees/the heart-cry of jesus/chapter iv christs prayer answered.htm

The Secret Burden
... "Lord, teach us to pray.""Luke 11:1. "Apart. . .""Zechariah 12:12. Down to Gehenna,
and up to the throne, He travels the fastest, who travels alone. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/whyte/lord teach us to pray/xxii the secret burden.htm

And the Pharisees Went Out, and Consulted Together Concerning Him. ...
... one that saith to his brother, Thou foul one, is condemned [671] by the synagogue;
and whosoever [52] saith to him, Thou fool, is worthy of the fire of Gehenna ...
/.../hogg/the diatessaron of tatian/section viii and the pharisees.htm

Gehenna (12 Occurrences)
... 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5. In these passages, and also in James 3:6, the
word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version placing "Gehenna" in the ...
/g/gehenna.htm - 15k

Hell (53 Occurrences)
... 22). (3.) Gehenna, in most of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament,
designates the place of the lost (Matthew 23:33). The ...
/h/hell.htm - 29k

Rather (176 Occurrences)
... to you, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you that one member should
be destroyed rather than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna. ...
/r/rather.htm - 36k

Causes (89 Occurrences)
... For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than
for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. (WEB RSV NIV). ...
/c/causes.htm - 33k

Stumble (89 Occurrences)
... For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than
for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. (WEB ASV YLT NAS). ...
/s/stumble.htm - 34k

Better (218 Occurrences)
... to you, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you that one member should
be destroyed rather than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna. ...
/b/better.htm - 38k

Possession (251 Occurrences)
... out and away with it; it is better for you to enter into Life with only one eye,
than to remain in possession of two eyes but be thrown into the Gehenna of fire ...
/p/possession.htm - 41k

Thrown (126 Occurrences)
... to you, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you that one member should
be destroyed rather than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna. ...
/t/thrown.htm - 37k

Hinnom (11 Occurrences)
... The word Gehenna [the Greek contraction of Hinnom] was never used in the time of
Christ in any other sense than to denote the place of future punishment ...
/h/hinnom.htm - 18k

Cause (1309 Occurrences)
... and whoever shall say to his brother,' Raca!' shall be in danger of the council;
and whoever shall say,'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. ...
/c/cause.htm - 39k

What is Gehenna? | GotQuestions.org

What is the worm that will not die in Mark 9:48? | GotQuestions.org

Is hell literally a place of fire and brimstone? | GotQuestions.org

Gehenna: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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